Interchangeable Bushing Seat Inserts For Skateboard Truck

ABSTRACT

This invention discloses a set of interchangeable bushing seat inserts which can be removably attached to the bushing seat on a hanger in any skateboard type truck to allow for different set ups and create different feelings. By having different bushing seat insert options, the rider can “tune” or adjust the feel and handling of the truck for different riding styles or courses. The interchangeable inserts may be of different geometry/shape and size and once inserted into the bushing seat area, it forms a new base and side for the bushing seat area, thus affecting the base and side of the bushing seat area. The possibilities for geometric changes to the inserts are almost limitless. This invention is also directed to a modified skateboard truck with an enlarged bushing seat which allows for the insertion (by any practical means) of specifically shaped inserts which surround the bushing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a skateboard truck, and moreparticularly to interchangeable bushing seat inserts for skateboardtruck and a skateboard truck incorporating said interchangeable bushingseat inserts.

2. Description of Related Art

A typical skateboard is made of a few basic parts including a deck whichis a riding surface for a rider to ride on, a pair of skateboard truckswhich supports the deck and rider, and four wheels with some sort ofball bearing arrangement upon which the trucks, deck, and rider aretransported. The trucks are very important as they are the metal turningmechanism that attach the wheels to the deck.

A skateboard truck comprises a few primary components, mainly a baseplate, a hanger, bushings, and a kingpin and nut. The base plate mountsthe truck to the skateboard deck and holds the kingpin (a bolt or otherthreaded fastener). The base plate also has a pivot cup which acceptsthe pivot point of the hanger. The hanger is a metal Tee shapedcomponent which has the wheel axles extending to the sides, a pivotpoint extending perpendicular to the axles around which the hangerrotates relative to the base plate, and bushing seats where the bushingsnestle in and a kingpin hole in the center. The kingpin extends throughthe hole in the base plate and the kingpin hole in the hanger and mountssecurely in the base plate. In order for the hanger to rotate relativeto the base plate there are typically two cylindrical elastomericbushings with a hole through the center employed in the system. Thefirst bushing is placed over the king pin and is trapped between thekingpin head and the hanger bushing seat. The second is installed in thebushing seat on the other side of the hanger and is retained on thekingpin by a nut and washer.

Typical bushings come in different shapes and hardness. They are usuallymade of polyurethane material and are perhaps the easiest things tochange on a truck in order to change the feel of how the skateboardturns. For example, a harder bushing will be much harder to turn on thana softer bushing; a bushing of a larger shape will be much harder toturn on than a narrow shaped one. Adjusting the kingpin nut to tightenor loosen the bushings can adjust the turning radius and response of thetruck itself. Tighter bushings mean stable but stiffer trucks, less easyto turn the skateboard; while loose bushings make for easier turning butless stability.

Another aspect that has an influence on bushing performance is thebushing seat on the truck. The bushing seat is the area on the hangerwhere the bushing makes contact. This area often has a rim to cup theedge of the bushing, restricting the movement of the bushing as thebushing deforms through a turn. Some trucks have very loose, whereasothers have very restrictive bushing seats, greatly reducing bushingdeformation. More restrictive bushing seats are generally found ontrucks designed with faster riding in mind as they offer more stabilityand lean.

Nevertheless, standard trucks have permanently cast in or machined inbushing seats, limiting the riders ability to tune or adjust the ridingcharacteristics of their trucks. Currently, there is no way to adjustthe bushing seats.

Therefore, it is desirable to implement an interchangeable bushing seatinsert (placed between the bushing seat and the bushing) with varyingshapes and durometer that will influence the stability and maneuveringof the truck and feel of how it turns to allow the rider to get moresetup options that were never available previously.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide interchangeableremovable bushing seat inserts of different shapes, made of differentmaterials so that the rider can make changes of bushing seats in orderto get more setup options that were never available previously. Anotherobject of the present invention is to provide a skateboard truck thatincorporates said interchangeable bushing seat inserts.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is discloseda set of interchangeable bushing seat inserts which can be removablyattached to the bushing seat area on a hanger in any types of skateboardtruck to allow for different setups to create different feelings.

Each interchangeable bushing seat insert has a fastening means to allowit to be removably attached to the bushing seat. Some may have exteriorthreads to engage the interior threads in the bushing seat of thehanger. Some may have mechanical fasteners such as bolts or screws. Somemay be simply pressed to fit into the bushing seat.

Both the top (board side) and bottom (road side) bushing seats can bechanged independently with replaceable inserts of different shapes andperhaps different materials, i.e. metal, plastic, rubber, etc. Once theinterchangeable inserts with different geometry (for size and shape) andmaterials are inserted into the bushing seats area, they form new baseand sides of the bushing seat area. By having different bushing seatinsert options, the rider can “tune” or adjust the feel and handling ofthe truck for different riding styles or courses.

The more important features of the invention have thus been outlined inorder that the more detailed description that follows may be betterunderstood and in order that the present contribution to the art maybetter be appreciated. Additional features of the invention will bedescribed hereinafter and will form the subject matter of the claimsthat follow.

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, itis to be understood that the invention is not limited in its applicationto the details of construction and the arrangements of the componentsset forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings.The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced andcarried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception,upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carryingout the several purposes of the present invention. It is important,therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalentconstructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

The foregoing has outlined, rather broadly, the preferred feature of thepresent invention so that those skilled in the art may better understandthe detailed description of the invention that follows. Additionalfeatures of the invention will be described hereinafter that form thesubject of the claims of the invention. Those skilled in the art shouldappreciate that they can readily use the disclosed conception andspecific embodiment as a basis for designing or modifying otherstructures for carrying out the same purposes of the present inventionand that such other structures do not depart from the spirit and scopeof the invention in its broadest form.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention willbecome more fully apparent from the following detailed description, theappended claim, and the accompanying drawings in which similar elementsare given similar reference numerals.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an interchangeable bushing seat insertaccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a elastomeric bushing;

FIG. 1C is a king pin;

FIG. 1D is a perspective view of a bushing seat on a hanger;

FIG. 2A is an exploded view showing a hanger and an interchangeablebushing seat insert separate apart;

FIG. 2B shows the interchangeable bushing seat insert is placed over thebushing seat on the hanger; and

FIG. 3 shows the primary components of a skateboard truck which includesthe interchangeable bushing seat inserts of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The invention is directed toward interchangeable bushing seat insertsand a skateboard truck with interchangeable bushing seat inserts.Referring to FIG. 1A, there is disclosed an interchangeable bushing seatinsert 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG.1, the bushing insert 10 has a cylindrical shape with an exteriordiameter d2 and a hole in the center with an interior diameter d3 forreceiving a bushing 20. FIG. 1 B shows a traditional (regular) bushingwhich has a cylindrical shape with an exterior diameter d4 and a holewith an interior diameter d5 for receiving a kingpin 30. FIG. 1C shows akingpin 30 with a diameter d7. The bushing seat 40 shown in FIG. 1D iscircle shaped with a diameter d1 for receiving a bushing seat insert andhas a hole with a diameter d6 in the center for receiving kingpin 30.The sizes of the bushing seat 40, bushing seat insert 10, bushing 20,and kingpin 30 are in the order of d7<d6 =d5<d4<d3<d2<d1. The bushingseat insert 10 is placed between the hanger bushing seat 40 and bushing20.

The interchangeable insert 10 may be made of a solid or semi ridgedmaterial, such as metal, urethane, rubber, plastic etc. and of variousshapes to allow for different “set-ups”. The inserts 10 could be on bothor either side of the hanger 70 or even possibly all the way through thehanger 70. They could be one or more pieces or segments. They may beplaced into the bushing seat 40 on the hanger 70 by any practicalfastening means. In one embodiment the bushing seat 40 has threads onits interior wall and the interchangeable insert 10 has matching threadson its exterior wall to engage the bushing seat 40. The interchangeableinsert 10 may be threaded into the bushing seat 40 on the hanger to besecured in place. In another embodiment, the interchangeable insert 10may be simply snapped fitted to the bushing seat 40 or attached to thebushing seat 40 by mechanical fastening means such as screws and bolts.Any other possible fastening means may be used to secure theinterchangeable inserts 10 in place. FIG. 2 A shows the exploded viewwith the bushing insert 10 and hanger 70 separated and FIG. 2 B showsthe bushing insert 10 inserted into the bushing seat 40 on the hanger70.

The device 10 according to the present invention can be used on any typeof skateboard, long board, luge or scooter type device which employs atruck with a bushing and kingpin configuration.

The present invention is also directed to a modified skateboard truckwith an enlarged bushing seat which allows for the insertion (by anypractical means, i.e. threaded, bolted, press fit etc.) of specificallyshaped inserts which surround the bushing.

FIG. 3 illustrates the components of the skateboard truck and how theyfit together. Skateboard trucks 50 have several basic components,including a base plate 60 and a truck hanger 70. The base plate 60 isphysically attached to the bottom of the skateboard deck. It includesthe plate itself, a pivot cup 61, and a hole 62 for kingpin 30 to pass.The truck hanger 70 is a metal Tee shaped component which has the wheelaxles 71 extending to lateral sides, a pivot point 72 extendingperpendicularly from the center of the wheel axles, a bushing seat 40 inthe center on each side (board side or road side) of the hanger 70 whichallows the bushings 20 to nestle in, and a hole 73 in the center of thebushing seat 40 through which the kingpin 30 fits. When the pivot point61 fits snugly into the pivot cup 72, the holes 73 and 62 in the hangerand base plate and the two elastomeric bushings 20 align to form achannel allowing a kingpin 30 to pass through so that the hanger 70 andbase plate 60 can be connected and secured by the kingpin 30 and awasher 32 and nut 33 and still allow the hanger 70 to rotate relative tothe base plate 60. In order for the rider to be able to have more set upoptions, one or two bushing inserts 10 with a hole through the centerare placed inside the bushing seat 40 on either side or both sides ofthe hanger 70 for receiving the one and/or two elastomeric bushings 20.

The method of or arrangement of above components and mounting them willbe well known to those with ordinary skill in the mechanical arts.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out thefundamental novel features of the invention as applied to the preferredembodiments, it will be understood that the foregoing is considered asillustrative only of the principles of the invention and not intended tobe exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed.Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the aboveteachings. The embodiments discussed were chosen and described toprovide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and itspractical application to enable one of ordinary skill in the art toutilize the invention in various embodiments and with variousmodifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated All suchmodifications and variations are within the scope of the invention asdetermined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance withthe breadth to which they are entitled.

What is claimed is:
 1. A set of interchangeable bushing seat insertscomprising: at least one interchangeable bushing seat insert which has ahole in the center for receiving an elastomeric bushing and can beremovably attached to a bushing seat on a hanger in any type ofskateboard truck, allowing riders to have more setup options.
 2. The setof interchangeable bushing seat inserts of claim 1, wherein the insertshave exterior threads to match with the bushing seat's interior threads.3. The set of interchangeable bushing seat inserts of claim 1, whereinthe insert is fastened to the bushing seat by mechanical fastening meansincluding screws or bolts.
 4. The set of interchangeable bushing seatinserts of claim 1, wherein the insert can be snap/press fitted into thebushing seat.
 5. The set of interchangeable bushing seat inserts ofclaim 1, wherein the insert is made of material selected from the groupconsisting of metal, plastic, urethane and rubber.
 6. The set ofinterchangeable bushing seat inserts of claim 1, wherein the insert hasdifferent shapes.
 7. A skateboard truck, comprising: a kingpin withthreads; a nut with threads matching the threads on the kingpin forengaging to the kingpin; at least one elastomeric bushing having a holethrough the center for the kingpin to fit in; at least oneinterchangeable removable bushing seat insert having a hole through thecenter sufficiently large for receiving the elastomeric bushing; a baseplate including the plate itself, a pivot cup, and a hole for thekingpin to pass; a hanger being a metal Tee shaped component having thewheel axles extending to lateral sides, a pivot point extendingperpendicularly from the center of the wheel axles, a bushing seat inthe center on both top and bottom side of the hanger allowing insertionof the bushing seat insert, and a hole through the center of the bushingseat allowing the kingpin to extend through; wherein the holes in thebase plate, hanger, bushing seat insert and the elastomeric bushingsalign to form a channel allowing the kingpin to pass through so that thehanger and base plate can be connected and secured by the kingpin andnut and still allow the hanger to rotate relative to the base plate withmore setup options.
 8. The hanger in a skateboard type truck of claim 7,wherein the bushing seat has interior threads and the insert hasexterior threads to match and engage the interior threads in bushingseat.
 9. The hanger in a skateboard type truck of claim 7, wherein theinsert is fastened to the bushing seat by mechanical fastening meansincluding screws or bolts.
 10. The hanger in a skateboard type truck ofclaim 7, wherein the insert can be snap/press fitted into the bushingseat.
 11. The hanger in a skateboard type truck of claim 7, wherein theinserts is made of material selected from the group consisting of metal,plastic, urethane and rubber.
 12. The hanger in a skateboard type truckof claim 7, wherein the insert has different shapes.